550 ANNUAL REGISTER, 
ments forward or backwards were 
confined to a very narrow space. 
On both sides fresh troops conti- 
nually came up. - Each army had 
behind the part of the village 
which it occupied great masses of 
infantry, which maintained the 
combat, and were continually re- 
newed by the _ reinforcements 
which they received from their 
rear, as well as from the heights 
on the right and left. About two 
hundred cannon were directed 
from both sides against the vil- 
lage, which was on fire in several 
places at once. From time to 
time the combat extended along 
the whole line, the enemy having 
also directed numerous troops 
against the third corps ; however, 
the main contest was near Ligny. 
Things seemed to take a favoura- 
ble turn for the Prussian troops, 
a part of the village of St. Amand 
having been retaken by a batta- 
lion commanded by the Field 
Marshal in person; in conse- 
quence of which advantage we had 
regained a height, which had been 
abandoned after the loss of St. 
Amand. ‘Nevertheless the bat- 
tle continued about Ligny with 
the same fury. The issue seemed 
to depend upon the arrival of the 
English troops, or on that of the 
fourth corps of the Prussian army ; 
in fact, the arrival of this last di- 
vision would have afforded the 
Field Marshal the means of mak- 
ing, immediately, with the right 
wing, an attack, from which great 
success might be expected: but 
news arrived that the English di- 
vision destined to support us was 
violently attacked by a corpsof the 
French army, and that it was with 
great difficulty it had maintained 
itself in its position at Quatre Bras. 
1815. 
The fourth corps of the army did 
not appear, so that we were forced 
to maintain alone the contest with 
an army greatly superior in num- 
bers. The evening was already 
much advanced, and the combat 
about Ligny continued with the 
same fury and the same equality 
of success; we invoked, but in 
vain, the arrival of those succours 
which were so necessary ; the dan- 
ger became every hour more and 
more urgent; all the divisions 
were engaged, or had already 
been so, and there were not any 
corps at hand able to support 
them. Suddenly a division of the 
enemy’s infantry, which by favour 
of the night had made a circuit 
round the village without being 
observed, at the same time that 
some regiments of cuirassiers had 
forced the passage on the other 
side, took in the rear the main 
body of our army, which was 
posted behind the house. This 
surprise on the part of the enemy 
was decisive, especially at the mo- 
ment when our cavalry, also post- 
ed on a height behind the village, 
was repulsed by the enemy’s ca- 
valry in repeated attacks. 
Our infantry posted behind 
Ligny, though forced to retreat, 
did not suffer itself to be discour- 
aged, either by being surprised by 
the enemy in the darkness, a cir- 
cumstance which exaggerates in 
the mind of man the dangers to 
which he finds himself exposed, or 
by the idea of seeing itself sur- 
rounded on all sides. Formed in 
masses, it coolly repulsed all the 
attacks of the cavalry, and re- 
treated in good order upon the 
heights, whence it continued its 
retrograde mavement upon Tilly. 
In consequence of the sudden ir- 
“sa 
